1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling a drive motor, and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for controlling a drive motor, by which the physical shock applied to a drive motor, occurring during the sudden braking of a vehicle, is reduced.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fuel cell vehicles, electric vehicles, and hybrid vehicles obtain main power from a drive motor, and, unlike engine driven vehicles mounted with a hydraulic transmission, these environmentally-friendly vehicles are configured to have a serial connection structure between a drive motor and a wheel. This connection structure improves fuel efficiency and the results in substantially high efficiency of power transmission. However, in such a configuration the driver may be physically shocked upon the torque conversion of a drive motor due to the absence of a shock-absorbing mechanism between a wheel and a drive motor.
Particularly, this shock may be aggravated by the sudden braking of a vehicle. Before the sudden braking of a vehicle, a driver's foot is removed from an accelerator pedal, with the associated performance of regenerative braking, together with the application of a reverse torque to a drive motor. Subsequent sudden braking by the driver causes the instantaneous application of a forward torque to the driver motor, thus physically shocking the driver again due to the torque conversion. This shock result also increases when an ABS (anti-lock braking system) is actuated upon a sudden braking event of a vehicle on a low-friction road. Therefore, there is a need for a strategy of reducing the physical shock attributable to torque conversion at a sudden braking event of a vehicle.
It is to be understood that the foregoing description is provided to merely aid the understanding of the present invention, and does not mean that the present invention falls under the purview of the related art which was already known to those skilled in the art.